Microsoft's priciest Surface Pro 3 costs more than two Macbook Airs

MICROSOFT HAS KICKED OFF pre-orders for its Surface Pro 3 tablet in the UK, with the highest priced model costing more than two Macbook Air laptops.

Yes, you read that right. Microsoft's top-end Surface Pro 3 model, which comes equipped with an Intel Core i7 processor and 512GB of storage, is priced at £1,649. That's despite it costing $1,949 in the US, or around £1,150, and means the device is more expensive than two Macbook Air laptops and change.

That's also more expensive - although not by much - than last year's highest specification Surface Pro 2 tablet, which Microsoft priced at £1,439.

Of course, there are cheaper models available. The cheapest, an Intel Core i3 powered Surface Pro 3 model, has gone up for pre-order priced at £639, while two Intel Core i5 models - which come with 128GB and 256GB of storage, respectively - are priced at £849 and £1,109. There is a cheaper Intel Core i7 model available that comes with a lesser 256GB of storage priced at £1,339, just a few quid off the cost of two Macbook Air models - £1,498, for those who are curious.

You'll have to wait a while to get your hands on the Microsoft Surface Pro 3, too. While the firm has been quick to start taking pre-orders, it said that it won't start shipping them until 31 August.

The firm was keen to draw comparisons between the Surface Pro 3 and Apple's Macbook Air, but the devices are not much alike. The Surface Pro 3 has a 12in HD display, Microsoft's Windows 8.1 Pro operating system, built-in stylus support and optional add-on Type keyboards. There is an optional dock too, which allows users to hook up the device to a 4K display. µ